No. 5 Michigan State rebounds with convincing win

Saturday

Nov 29, 2008 at 12:01 AMNov 29, 2008 at 8:23 PM

Raymar Morgan scored 29 points as No. 5 Michigan State rebounded from its first loss of the season with a convincing 94-79 win over Oklahoma State in a losers’ bracket game Friday night at the Old Spice Classic.

Raymar Morgan scored 29 points as No. 5 Michigan State rebounded from its first loss of the season with a convincing 94-79 win over Oklahoma State in a losers’ bracket game Friday night at the Old Spice Classic.

Travis Walton added 16 points for Michigan State (3-1), which was upset by Maryland 80-62 in the opening round.

Oklahoma State (4-2) got 21 points from Terrel Harris. The Cowboys were beat 83-71 by No. 9 Gonzaga on Thursday.

Morgan had 9 points, and Marquise Gray and Kalin Lucas added 8 apiece to help Michigan State take a 44-29 halftime lead. Gray and Lucas finished with 12 points each.

Lucas’ fast-break basket gave Michigan State a 57-36 lead with 17 minutes to play. Walton’s basket made it 61-39 at the 14-minute mark.

Harris’ 3-point play got Oklahoma State within 62-48, but Morgan responded by scoring the next four points.

Morgan was not in the starting lineup for just the fourth time in 68 career games, and the first time since his freshman year. The junior came off the bench with 16:50 left in the first half and scored four points before being taken out three minutes later after picking up his second foul.

After averaging 21.5 points in his first two games this season, Morgan spent most of Thursday’s game with Maryland on the bench in foul trouble and finished with just four points.

Morgan was reinserted back into the lineup at the midpoint of Friday’s first half and scored on a layup to put Michigan State up 23-16 with eight minutes left. His 3-point play with 4:34 remaining extended the Spartans’ advantage to 36-19.

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